Adoramus Te
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: Pre-Hellsing: Their first mission in the canyons of Brazil uncover certain truths about each other they had attempted to deny. And also, the driving force behind "vampire" attacks in South America and a cult that calls themselves the "Sons of Starlight".
1. I

**Adoramus Te**

 **Author's Note** : So this is the fic I had working in my mind for a little while. This may be slightly AU since I haven't read Crossfire. I'm sort of going by what I see in the OVA and in the manga with these two. I took a few liberties and changed a few things. Hope that was cool.

 _"Remain steadfast in the journey of faith... young people, swim against the tide; it's good for the heart, but it takes courage."_

\- Pope Francis

 _"God gave you the trials in life because he knows that you are able to afford to survive."_

\- Innah Delos Angeles

 **By: VampireQueenAkasha**

~O~

 **I**

Their first mission.

Heinkel and Yumiko were to travel into hostile territory in southern Brazil to put an end to a potentially dangerous cult. It was interesting to see how they would work together considering they constantly squabbled.

Maxwell had given them their orders and despite Heinkel's protests to working with the young nun, he was insistent about their mission and that it was final. Heinkel had no understanding how they had come to fight so much; as children, they had gotten along great.

Well once the mission was finished, Heinkel would be glad to go her own way.

They arrived in São José, checking into an inn. The room was sparse with only one bed, a wool rug and small bathroom. There were a few tables, dressers and a television. Heinkel set her pistols down onto a table and Yumiko stretched a little, giving a low yawn.

"I'm going to get washed up," she said.

"Good." Heinkel told her, popping a cigarette into her mouth. "I'll go over the report."

Yumiko hummed a happy tune as she entered the bathroom. Once the sound of water running filled the air, Heinkel sat down on the edge of the bed and opened her report, stuffed into a manila folder. There was a photo of a man who was believed to be an informant to this cult; thin, ugly mustache, muddy brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair. His name was Manuel de Santigo. Hiding somewhere in the city.

"So do you think we'll find him here?"

Heinkel was startled when she heard Yumiko's voice near her ear. She hadn't even heard the nun finish her shower. The nun was leaning over her with a curious smile.

"Dammit, Yumiko..." she snapped.

"Well, do you think he's here?" Yumiko asked, not noting Heinkel's attitude.

"He is. But we only have a short window to capture him." Heinkel said. "So we're going to sleep for a few hours before we move."

"Alright."

Heinkel and Yumiko both moved to lay in the bed. It took a few awkward seconds before they glared at each other.

"I'm getting the bed." they said, together.

"I drove us here." Heinkel snapped.

"Do you really think I should sleep on the floor?!" Yumiko exclaimed, furious by the idea.

Heinkel removed her glasses and set them down onto the table beside her. "Maybe the bathtub?" she suggested.

"Forget it. I'm not sleeping there. I'm sleeping here and you can't stop me."

"Fine. Sleep here. Just don't kick me or you're ending up on the floor."

Yumiko shrugged her shoulders. "Fine."

Heinkel began to unbutton her clothes, leaving herself in a tank top and her breeches. When she noticed the nun began to undress, her eyes widened and she quickly turned her head away, immediately reddening.

"Yumiko, what are you doing?" she demanded, in a high, startled voice.

"I like to sleep in the nude, Heinkel." Yumiko said. "It's more comfortable."

Heinkel stiffly rolled onto her side, away from the nun as she wiggled under the sheets beside her. Yumiko took a few moments of wiggling around before finally stilling.

"Heinkel, are you okay?" Yumiko asked, "You feel a little warm. I hope you're not catching a fever."

"No!" Heinkel groused, tossing the sheets over her head.

O

 _Seven Years Ago_

 _Heinkel had her eyes covered and her face was bright red._

 _"Yumiko, for the last time, make yourself decent!" she demanded._

 _Yumiko was standing naked in the room, trying to analyze a birthmark on her thigh. "Heinkel, please stop being so silly and tell me if this looks like a birthmark or not." she insisted._

 _Heinkel rubbed her face with one hand and cast a stare to heaven. "This is improper behavior, Yumiko. Put your clothes on!"_

 _"I've heard enough of your yelling," Maxwell's voice emerged from the hallways. "What are you two arguing abo-OH!"_

 _His eyes widened and he gave several startled yelps, covering his eyes when he saw Yumiko standing naked there. He quickly covered his eyes and spoke furiously, not to mention in a flustered manner._

 _"Yumiko!" he barked. "For the love of God, dress yourself!"_

O

Manuel was easy to spot.

It was four in the morning and he was departing from a bar. He was wearing a thin green coat, a pair of blue jeans and large brown boots.

Heinkel slipped on her glasses and followed behind, giving the man a wide berth. He walked casually down an alleyway and glanced back briefly when he noticed the woman following him.

He began to walk faster and Heinkel increased her gait to keep up with him.

Suddenly, Manuel broke out in a run and Heinkel gave chase.

He ran down the alley, vaulting over garbage cans and dumpsters. Heinkel was not far behind him, leaping over the obstacles in her path. Manuel was just about to run around a corner before he tripped, falling flat on his face. Yumiko stepped out from the shadows, holding her sheathed weapon with a grin. Her "other half" had taken over - she wasn't wearing her glasses.

Manuel glanced down and noticed that she had been the one who tripped him.

Before Manuel knew it, he was yanked into the building near them and bound in a chair.

Heinkel raised a photograph in his face, displaying a picture of a blood-painted pentagram with an eye in the center. Manuel paled at the sight.

"So what's this?" Heinkel asked him. "Why has this been showing up around the city?"

Manuel grinned and shrugged. His Portuguese accent was thick when he spoke. "I don't know. Why are you asking me? I'm a simple delivery worker on the docks."

Heinkel sighed. "That's not what we know about you."

Yumie gave the man a smack on the head with the hilt of her weapon. He winced and looked up at Heinkel with a panicked grin.

"I don't know anything!" he insisted. "I'm just the dock worker!"

Heinkel drew out her pistols and pointed one at his head. He gave a frightened cry.

"But you work for them. This pagan cult." she said.

"I-I might do a little shipping work, but that's it!" Manuel cried, "I don't know anything! I swear to God - "

Yumie gave a mocking scoff. "Don't blasphemy, heretic." she warned. She drew her sword and leveled it beneath his chin. "If you don't know anything that could help us, maybe I should take some off the top. What do you say, Heinkel?"

Heinkel shook her head, waving Yumie off with a flick of her gun. "Yumie, back away a little," she ordered.

"Come on!" Yumie griped, "He's not going to talk. We're wasting time."

"Yumie!" Heinkel warned, giving the nun a look. "I have this. Back away."

Yumie gave a long-suffering groan and did as she said, backing away from the man. Heinkel kept her gun raised to Manuel's head.

"We have a plane not far from here." she told him. "You're going to take us to where we need to go. If not, then I will bring God's judgment down upon your head right here, right now."

Manuel shook his head desperately. "No, I can't! I - Okay, okay!" He quickly changed his mind when Heinkel pulled back the hammer of her weapon. "I'll do it!"

"No tricks." Heinkel warned. "If you try to run, Yumie here runs a lot faster than you."

Yumie just smirked at Manuel, who gave a frightened wince when she feigned removing her blade from its sheath.

O

Manuel screamed the entire time.

Yumie had chosen to hang him from the plane by a cable cord. Heinkel simply rolled her eyes as she piloted the plane through the Canyon of Itaimbezinho. Sometimes Yumiko's "other self" had a tendency to act with the utmost immaturity about these things.

Manuel had claimed that the cult was here, but she saw no signs of any peculiar activity below.

"Yumie, bring him back in." Heinkel ordered.

"Right." Yumie brought Manuel back into the plane. She smiled at him. "So...are we going to talk?"

"I told you!" Manuel cried, "They're here! In this canyon!"

"You know how big the Canyon of Itaimbezinho is?" Yumie snapped.

"Yes, I know! I'm Portuguese, you crazy _puta_!" Manuel shot back.

Yumie frowned, raising her sword. "What did you call me?"

"Enough!" Heinkel ordered. She glanced back briefly to Manuel. "I hope your memory returns, Manuel. If you want to stay alive."

Suddenly, something whistled through the air. Yumie looked up just in time to see a rocket-propelled grenade flying toward them. Heinkel saw it too. Her eyes widened and she jerked on the controls of the plane in a futile attempt to avoid it.

The shell took out the left wing of the plane and it spun out of control. Heinkel struggled with the controls while Yumie quickly hurried into a seat belt while aiding Manuel into one.

The plane spun wildly through the air before it crashed into the trees below, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Heinkel was jerked forward, her head slamming into the controls before she lost consciousness.

 _A five-year old Heinkel sat in the chair, her mouth bloody. Yumiko sat in a chair beside her, also in a similar state._

 _Alexander Anderson sat in front of them from behind a desk, disappointment on his face._

 _"This is the third time this week," he said, "The third time that I've had to stop a fight between you two."_

 _"She started it." Yumiko snapped, glaring at Heinkel._

 _"Did not!" Heinkel shot back._

 _Anderson glared at them. "Enough." he warned. "Now, I want you two to return to your beds and pray. You will be without supper tonight."_

 _"But Father - " Heinkel protested._

 _"But nothing. Go on." Anderson ordered._

 _The two children groaned and stepped out of the chairs, walking to the door._

 _"I told you." Heinkel grumbled._

O

Heinkel awoke, immediately greeted by the sensation of pain in her head. She felt her vision returning and was granted a lovely view of sparking wires waving near her face. She quickly regained her senses and unbuckled her seat-belt, falling from her seat in the process.

"Yumie?" Heinkel groaned, "Yumie, are you alright?"

She staggered to her feet and found Yumie and Manuel in their seats, unconscious. Yumie was mumbling weakly, her head rolling around on her shoulders.

"Yumie, wake up." Heinkel ordered, unbuckling her. "Come on, we need to move."

Yumie awoke after a few moments, moaning softly in pain. Her features seemed suddenly very frightened. Yumiko was back. Heinkel urged her to her feet.

"Grab him," she said, gesturing to Manuel.

"Okay." Yumiko groaned again, rubbing her neck.

Manuel was mumbling in his sleep. "Of course I will marry you," he murmured, smiling. "...yes. Oh wait...hide in the barn..."

"Stupid idiot." Yumie was back, cursing viciously under her breath.

"Yumie, now!" Heinkel insisted.

The nun groaned with annoyance and grabbed Manuel. "Hey, wake up," she ordered, dragging him to his feet. She gave him a harsh slap.

"Ah!" Manuel cried. He looked around wildly. "I'm awake!"

He glanced over Yumie's shoulder and his eyes widened at the sounds of shouting in the distance. Heinkel followed his stare and scowled.

"We need to move." she said.

Yumie frowned at her. "I can take them."

"Yumie, we don't know what we're facing and we have no plane," Heinkel snapped. "We need to get the upper hand before they find us. Now GO!"

Yumie gave a frustrated groan and grabbed Manuel, rushing into the jungle with Heinkel tagging behind. The trio took shelter in a tree listening to the distant sounds of chatter. Manuel shook his head with fright.

"You two don't know who you're dealing with!" he whispered, in an unsettled tone. "They will kill us if we're found!"

"Who are they?" Heinkel demanded, just as quietly.

Manuel shook his head with a murmur. "They call themselves the Sons of Starlight." he told them. "Their leader?" He snorted gruffly. " _Acha que é o rei da cocada preta_ \- thinks he's hot shit or something. I'm just the guy on the outside who brings them the good news."

Yumie looked at Heinkel briefly before glancing at Maniel. "Sons of Starlight?" she questioned. "What sort of organization are they?"

Manuel sighed. "Don't know. I was enlisted as their delivery boy some time ago." he replied. "They're all drugged up on some weird shit. Thinks it'll make them immortal or something. I think they answer to a higher power, though. Never met them myself."

"They don't trust you, is what I'm understanding." Heinkel said.

Manuel chuckled. " _Sim._ You'd be right."

Heinkel glanced out toward the direction the plane had landed. "Well, we need to move soon."

Manuel held up his bound wrists. "Can't you undo my bonds, then?"

"When you've no longer been of use to us, I will," Heinkel told him.

"When will that be?"

"When I've killed you."

Manuel made a face. "I understand..."

 _A twelve-year old Heinkel stared at Yumiko with horror._

 _The girl was standing beside the bloodied corpse of a priest, holding her sword in one hand. Her eyes were different then - more insane than Heinkel had ever seen._

 _"Yumiko?" she said._

 _"Yumiko is asleep," the other girl said, with a small smile. It was almost cruel, but also quite delighted by the corpse below her."I'm awake. Tell me...who are you?"_

 _Heinkel frowned. She had never seen this before. "I'm Heinkel. Heinkel Wolfe."_

 _"Hm." Yumie chuckled, but it sounded wrong. "Yes, she talks about you quite a lot. Likes you. But this one..." She gestured to the dead priest with a wave of her sword. "This one was different. Liked her more than he should. Yumiko needed someone to help her. So I...introduced myself. And do you know what I did?"_

 _Heinkel stared down at the dead priest. She couldn't imagine what had happened._

 _"I told her to cut up this filthy disease!" Yumie spat, grinning. "This...false prophet of God! This heathen! This one who would hold a bible in one hand and try to put his hands on a child with the other! There's only one good answer for filth like this and that is death!"_

O

It was unbearably hot that morning.

Heinkel shook the memory away as she sat by the cool stream, splashing her face with water. Manuel was fidgeting with the cuffs around his wrists and Yumie rinsed her shoes out of mud.

"I told you we shouldn't have tried to cross that river," Yumie said. "Now here we are...warriors of Iscariot marching through this unholy heat with this waste of skin."

Manuel smiled angrily. "Hey! I'm sitting right here, _mina_."

Heinkel unbuttoned her jacket and leaned back, grimacing. "Yes, I'm aware of how hot it is, Yumie," she said, "But complaining won't change that. We should keep moving."

Yumie nodded and gestured to Manuel. "Alright. Get up."

Manuel smirked coldly and rose. "Ever notice when white people come to another country, they give orders like they own the place?"

"Now." Yumie snapped.

Manuel rolled his eyes and stood up. He followed the two women through the jungle that would lead them back toward the canyon. After some time, Yumie had been hungry and Heinkel went on the search for food. When she returned, she found Manuel and Yumie cooking a collared peccary over a fire.

Heinkel hid the crab-eating raccoon she had found, embarrassed by her small kill.

"Oh, you should have seen her!" Manuel said, grinning, "She is a speed _diabo_ with that sword."

Yumie chuckled. "Thank you. I know all the weak spots in all living things."

"Seriously, where did you learn to move like that?" Manuel asked, smiling. "I don't see many ladies with speed like yours."

"It just comes naturally." Yumie replied, with a shrug. "I don't think about it too much."

Heinkel smiled with annoyance. "If I haven't interrupted anything, we should be moving soon." she snapped.

Yumie started to take a bite from the piece of cooking meat, but Manuel stopped her. "Not yet, _mina_ ," he said, "You have to wait until she is crispy first. Otherwise you'll have yourself some extra mouths to feed here."

"What do you mean?" Yumie asked.

"He means stomach worms," Heinkel snapped; she was standing further from them.

Yumie grinned, cackling. "That's disgusting."

Heinkel decided to take a seat with them and impatiently began to rotate the hunk of meat cooking over the fire. She thought about her past with Yumie for a few moments as she watched the woman talking with Manuel.

 _Yumiko was brushing her hair in the mirror when she heard the sound of shuffling near her window. She frowned and approached, only to find Heinkel clinging precariously to the tree nearby. Her eyes widened and she gave an amused laugh._

 _"Heinkel, what are you doing in that tree?" she asked._

 _"I was..." Heinkel struggled to come up with a viable response. "Trying to find that damn wasps nest. You know how it is with those irritating little bastards."_

 _Yumiko laughed and shook her head. "Come on inside then. You're going to hurt yourself. That would be funny seeing you fall, though."_

 _Heinkel grumbled with irritation when Yumie helped her through the window. "Yeah, I bet it would be..."_

 _"So...did you bring it?" Yumiko asked curiously._

 _Heinkel smirked and removed the bottle of wine from her robes. Yumiko excitedly took it._

 _"So is this what women do?" Heinkel asked, shrugging her shoulders._

 _"I think so," Yumiko said. "I know there's kissing and stuff like that too. But I don't think that's really allowed..." She paused and looked at Heinkel curiously. "...is it?"_

 _"I don't know." Heinkel replied, scratching the back of her head. "It doesn't_ feel _like it's a bad thing."_

 _Yumiko sat in silence before smiling up at her. "Do you...want to try it?"_

 _Heinkel swallowed thickly. "Uh...okay then."_

 _The two leaned forward slightly._

 _"Do we close our eyes or...?" Heinkel was a little nervous._

 _"I think so."_

 _Both leaned forward until their lips met. After a few moment of sharing a simple, chaste kiss, they parted. Yumiko blinked slowly, smiling a little. Heinkel's brows went up._

 _"Well..." she said. She cleared her throat. "That was..."_

 _"Yes..." Yumiko seemed equally dazed in her response. "...that was..."_

"Heinkel!"

Heinkel snapped out of her daze and looked up when Yumie yelled her name.

"What?" she asked.

"I asked if you wanted a piece," Yumie said, offering her some of the cooked meat.

Heinkel shook her head and took the offering. "Oh! Of course."

"Oy..." Manuel joked, chuckling.

He murmured something in Portuguese that sounded distinctly like a tasteless joke, but of course, Heinkel didn't understand it.


	2. II

~O~

 **II**

 _"We ask o' thee: Whit art thou?"_

 _"We are Iscariot, the Zealot Judas!"_

 _"In that case, Iscariot, we ask o' thee: Whit dost thou hold in thy right hand?"_

 _"Daggers and poisons!"_

 _"In that case, Iscariot, we ask o' thee: Whit dost thou hold in thy left hand?"_

 _"Thirty silver pieces and a rope!"_

 _"In that case, Iscariot, whit art thou?"_

 _"As apostles, yet not as apostles."_

 _"As adherents, yet not as adherents."_

 _"As believers, yet not as believers."_

 _"As traitors, yet not as traitors."_

 _"We are disciples of death, the Death Disciple Group,_

 _Only bowing and praying forgiveness of the Lord;_

 _Only bowing and defeating the enemies of the Lord."_

 _"Wielding our dagger in the night and poisoning the evening meal,_

 _We are assassins; the Assassin Judas."_

 _"When the time comes, we shall cast our thirty silver pieces at the altar_

 _And hang thy head from our rope."_

 _"Thereby we shall fall to Hell in cabal."_

 _"Lined up in square formation, we seek to do battle with the 7405926 demons of Hell._

 _"APOCALYPSE NOW!"_

 _After the phrase had been chanted, Iscariot's new soldiers of God returned to their beds for rest. Anderson offered a moment of contemplation and prayer for the future to come. Heinkel met up with Yumiko in the library. The nun held Heinkel's hand to her breast._

 _It was the silly exploration of two young women._

 _"So this is what women do for each other," Heinkel mused. "Look and touch?"_

 _Yumiko smiled and let Heinkel's hand lower to her waist. "It feels nice to do this."_

 _"Yeah, it does." Heinkel agreed._

 _"You first," Yumiko said, gesturing to Heinkel's robes._

 _"Really?" Heinkel blushed a bit._

 _Yumiko sensed her nervousness and shook her head. "It's okay if you don't want to!"_

 _"No, no." Heinkel argued. She turned her back to her and slowly, nervously began to undo the buttons to her robes. "I'll go first."_

 _She took a deep breath and pushed off her coat before working off the rest of her top. Yumiko stood there with bated breath. Seeing Heinkel with her naked back exposed... It was the most she had ever seen of her._

 _"Okay..." Heinkel said._

 _Heinkel took a deep breath and turned, facing the other woman. Yumiko blushed somewhat, raised her eyebrows and smiled a little._

 _"Oh...you have a nice body." she said._

 _Heinkel's face was bright red. "Uhm...thank you."_

 _"Okay, my turn then."_

 _Yumiko moved to undress and that was when a priest chose to walk in. "Sister Mary, I want to - Oh! Oh my God!" he exclaimed, when he saw the two._

 _Heinkel quickly hurried to dress herself._

 _"Father Anderson!" the priest shouted, over his shoulder, "You need to come here quickly!"_

 _"Are we in trouble?" Yumiko whispered, side-long to Heinkel._

 _"I think we are..."_

O

"...They don't even pay me enough to deal with this."

Manuel was complaining for most of the trek through the jungle. He continued to ask that they remove his handcuffs, but Yumie and Heinkel always refused.

"Please, take these off!" he begged.

"No." Yumie and Heinkel said, together.

"I won't run." Manuel told them. "I won't get very far, you know that, right?"

"Can I cut off his legs now?" Yumie whispered, sidelong to Heinkel.

Heinkel suddenly stopped and crouched down. She quickly beckoned for the other two to do the same. They peered through the trees and spotted a camp not too far away. Several men were wearing body armor and camoflage, armed to the tooth with guns. They were talking in Portuguese.

"Manuel, what are they saying?" Heinkel whispered.

Manuel squinted a little and leaned forward. "They're looking for us," he said, as he listened to the conversations, "They want us alive first."

"For what?" Heinkel asked.

Manuel listened to the conversations going on before his features filled with unease. "I don't think you want to know..."

"It doesn't matter." Yumie said, grinning wickedly. "These enemies of God will fall by my blade!"

Heinkel gasped in horror when the nun charged into the fray. "Yumie, wait! Dammit...!"

It became chaos as Yumie cut down the armed men with little difficulty. Heinkel had joined the battle with her two guns, taking out those who attacked her with expert percision.

Manuel had stayed hidden behind the trees, watching these warriors of the church deal with these men in such a way he'd never seen before. What sort of church did they belong to? And on top of that, what sort of church would allow these things? It was beyond his comprehension.

While Yumie cleaved a soldier in two, Heinkel had been momentarily distracted by her ferocity and a bullet from another soldier tore into her back. Yumie heard Heinkel's shout of pain and her eyes widened.

"Heinkel?" she gasped, her other self falling into slumber.

Heinkel clutched her shoulder, wincing in pain before she aimed her gun at the man who had shot her. Before she could pull the trigger, Manuel came swinging out of the trees with a branch and struck the man hard on the head, rendering him unconscious.

Heinkel frowned at him. "...thanks." she said, hesitantly.

Yumiko made her way to Heinkel, studying the bleeding wound in her shoulder. "It looks bad. We need to get that out."

"I'm fine." Heinkel snapped. "We need to keep moving. I'm sure there will be more."

"Heinkel, you're bleeding all over the place," Yumiko told her.

Manuel nodded. "She's right, _mina_. You need to get that out."

Heinkel sighed with annoyance. With their mission going less-than how she wanted, she couldn't afford to lose her arm out of this. They were right.

O

Manuel removed his belt and held it out to Heinkel. "Here, bite down on this." he said.

Heinkel nodded and did as he instructed, placing the belt into her mouth. Yumiko removed her coat and started to remove her undershirt, but the two women stared at Manuel. He rolled his eyes at the hesitation.

"Oh no, tits." he mocked, waving his hands in the air, "Like I haven't seen a pair of those before. Don't be prudes. You have a bullet in your shoulder to worry about."

Heinkel sighed. "He's right. Just do it."

"I have a knife. Hold on." Manuel started to reach for the knife in his back pocket, but his cuffs impeded that greatly.

"Wait." Yumiko said. She took the knife out for him.

When she focused on Heinkel's back, her eyes narrowed at the sight of several long, hideous scars. Yumiko wasn't a fool to what they were - whip scars. Typically found from self-flagellation. It made her hesitate and Manuel took that for reluctance to remove the bullet.

"You have to sterilize it first," he instructed, gesturing to the fire.

"I know how to do it." Yumiko said.

She let the tip of the knife burn in the flames of a small fire they had started. Heinkel bit down on the leather belt and winced for the pain to come.

When Yumiko slowly slipped the knife into the bullet wound, Heinkel jerked with a fierce snarl under her breath. Yumiko looked at her desperately.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" she cried.

Heinkel jerked as Yumiko struggled to get the bullet out of her skin. It took several painful attempts before the shell managed to fall free. Heinkel was relieved when the pain ceased and removed the belt from her mouth.

Manuel leaned forward and picked up the shell, studying the casing. "This is interesting..." he said.

"What is it?" Heinkel asked, turning.

Manuel turned the shell, revealing a swastika branded into the metal.

"This is special," Manuel told the women. "Never seen ammunition like this before."

Yumiko looked at Heinkel and whispered under her breath. "Maybe it's why you couldn't heal from it?"

As a Regenerator, Heinkel could have easily healed such wounds, but when she had continued to bleed and the bullet couldn't be pushed out, she knew something was strange about the bullets. If they had these, there was a good chance that they knew who was coming for them.

 _It was a cold evening._

 _Heinkel returned to her room after training and began to disrobe. She lowered herself to her knees and reached for a whip resting in a small desk near her bed. After saying a prayer, she took a deep breath and brought the whip back, cracking it hard against her flesh._

O

The journey through the jungle had a mild setback.

Rain poured down on the three travelers.

"A little rain never hurt anyone." Yumiko said.

Her hair was sticking to her cheeks and over her eyes; she looked utterly ridiculous. Heinkel looked around for signs of shelter.

"We need to keep moving," she told the other two. "We stop for nothing."

"I don't want to rain on your parade," Manuel said, gesturing over his head, "But it's raining on our parade. We need to find somewhere to hole up until it passes."

Heinkel snorted. "Fine."

Yumiko wanted to question why she was so gruff, but decided against it. They stopped at a tree that formed a bridge across a raging river. Manuel made a nervous sound.

" _Merda_..." he muttered, "No way I'm crossing that."

Heinkel took him by the scruff of his coat and began to drag him across with her. Yumiko followed behind them.

"Just be careful. Don't look down." Heinkel instructed.

"I got it, Heinkel." Yumiko quipped.

Heinkel balanced herself on the tree and frowned back at Yumiko. "Is there something you wish to get off of your chest?" she snapped.

"I could ask you the same thing..." Yumiko muttered, with disappointment.

"You know, it's my dream is to be caught between two pretty ladies," Manuel told them, wincing nervously, "But we are standing over a rushing river! Maybe you can fight when we're on the other side, _sim_?"

"He's right. Keep moving." Heinkel said.

They made their way toward the edge of the river and Yumiko misstepped, almost slipping off of the tree, but Manuel grabbed her arm. Heinkel aided in this by taking Yumiko's other arm and the two pulled her onto land. Yumiko looked at Manuel briefly.

"Thank you." she told him.

"No problem," Manuel acknowledged.

"Alright, let's move." Heinkel was already moving forward.

"Heinkel, wait." Yumiko suggested. "We should talk. Please, we REALLY need to talk."

"Not now. Talking isn't important. We need to find their base of operations. Given the fact that we are far out of our range..."

Yumiko listened to her talk and tried to talk over her, but Heinkel wasn't listening. She closed her eyes, pursed her lips before Yumie took over.

"LOOK AT ME!" she shouted, her brown eyes almost red.

Heinkel whirled, shock on her face. Manuel also looked startled by the sudden, indignant outburst.

"...Maybe we can talk then..." Heinkel said.

O

 _"...It's just a phase young girls go through..."_

 _"It's a sin. They're going to burn for this."_

 _"You're not God, Enrico. And you're too young to think such things."_

 _A young Enrico Maxwell sat beneath a tree, reading from the bible while he watched Yumiko and Heinkel chasing one another in the yard. Makube was standing beside him._

 _"I'm not too young," Maxwell said, eyes glued to the pages. "I'm old enough. Just you see, Makube. I will be better. Better than the Sisters and Fathers. Maybe better than Anderson."_

 _Makube looked at him with a small chuckle. "You?"_

 _"Yes, me. I'm not going to move up in the world because others will grant that to me," Maxwell told him, "No, I have to claim that right on my own."_

 _Makube smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Though he was much younger than Maxwell, he seemed to have a certain maturity about him that most children lacked._

 _"Alright. You carry out your little schemes," he joked._

 _Maxwell watched him as he walked away. He gave an annoyed snort and resumed his focus on his bible._

Heinkel removed Manuel's cuffs.

The man stared at her in surprise, rubbing his wrists.

"You make one move..." Heinkel warned.

"I know, the crazy _bruxa_ will hack off my legs," Manuel quipped.

"Yumie and I need to talk." Heinkel told him, "Keep watch then, yes?"

Manuel nodded his head.

Heinkel acknowledged with a nod of her own before she walked over to Yumie, who was in the middle of playing a game of "pinfinger" with Manuel's knife in the dirt.

"Yumie," she said.

Yumie grimaced. "Oh, dammit. I lost count." she snapped.

"You wanted to talk," Heinkel said, "Well? Here we are."

Yumie glanced up at her before sighing. She straightened and dusted her habit off a little.

"Why don't you ever look at me?" she asked. "Why won't you even touch me?"

Heinkel frowned at her. "You know why."

"Yumiko knows why. I do not."

Heinkel sometimes forgot that Yumiko's "other half" knew little about the ways of acquaintances and friends. Being "asleep" most of the time was reason for that.

"I'm not a fool, Heinkel," Yumie snapped, giving her a look, "You don't feel as strongly about me because I don't sit well with your sensitivities, is that right?"

Heinkel glared at her. "That's a damn lie!"

"Is it? People like me make for very poor companions, right?"

Heinkel snarled and began to yell now. Yumie was yelling with her and it all became chaos as both tried to speak over the other.

Before they knew it, they were upon one another, fighting with their fists. Heinkel had to be careful because Yumie was capable of crushing a man's skull with her bare hands. They slipped and fought in the mud and rain, grappling at each other, rolling around for dominance.

Finally, Yumie flipped Heinkel, pinning her to the ground. After a few angry, breathless hisses, the two women brought their lips together.

Then, they parted and their eyes widened.

"Why did you kiss me?" they cried, together. "No! You kissed me!"

"Aww..."

The two looked over at Manuel, who smiled at the sight.

"Oh, don't mind me, ladies," he joked.


	3. III

~O~

 **III**

 _Yumiko was sound asleep beside her._

 _Heinkel awoke and stared down at the nun, who chose to sleep in her bed that night. She smiled a little and rubbed a hand up and down her side. It had been strictly chaste; Yumiko couldn't sleep very well and found it easier to do so in Heinkel's room._

 _"Yumiko, wake up," she said. "It's dawn."_

 _Yumiko murmured and shifted a little, stretching before she opened her eyes._

 _"Already?" she murmured._

 _"Yes. Already."_

 _"Hm." Yumiko stretched again and sat up. "I like being here. I wish we could always sleep together."_

 _"So do I."_

"FUCK!"

The soldier didn't have time to fight back when Yumie surged through the brush, her katana blurring through the air with unholy speed. She cut off his head before he could even hope to reach for his gun. His corpse hit the dirt, just as Heinkel and Manuel made their way up to her.

"Yumie, we needed him alive." Heinkel snapped. "How are we going to find their base of operations if you keep killing them?"

"This one knows," Yumie said, pointing her katana at Manuel. "He knows where it is."

Manuel frowned. "No. I told you, I don't."

"Then you have to know something. Otherwise, you're just dragging around like a dead horse behind us." Yumie told him. She flashed a grin. "Food for thought."

"I can't tell you what I don't know!"

"Then you have to know SOMETHING. Did you ever get any strange smells from them? Sights?"

Manuel sighed impatiently, but considered Yumie's words. "Well...they always had this odd, damp smell to them." he said, "And muddy boots. One guy - a real nasty one - was drenched when I last saw him. I only suspected they were here because I met them at the border of this canyon. That rocket launcher that shot us down could be proof of that."

Yumie frowned thoughtfully before turning to Heinkel. "I saw a waterfall nearby."

"Hm..." Heinkel considered this. "It may be a risk trying it, but it's the only lead we have right now. Let's go."

The trio continued through the jungle, Heinkel leading the way. Suddenly, she ducked down, urging them to do the same.

Four men were trudging through the stangnant river, armed to the tooth. A peculiar aspect of them were the glowing red eyes and...rows of sharp teeth. Manuel looked stunned by the sight.

"What the fuck?" he gasped.

"Get down!" Heinkel ordered, pushing him further out of sight.

Manuel grunted sharply, uttering a soft "ouch" under his breath.

One of the men stopped, took a deep inhale and snarled before following his comrades. The three watched them go before feeling it was safe to exit.

"Walking out at night could be dangerous," Heinkel said.

"Can someone explain to me what that was?" Manuel demanded.

"A vampire." Heinkel answered.

Manuel stared at her for the longest time. Then, he grinned and started laughing.

"A vampire. _Deus_ , are you joking?"

Heinkel gave him a dirty look. "Why would I joke?"

Manuel glanced from Yumie to Heinkel. "That's not possible. How can they exist?!"

"I don't have time to explain this to you," Heinkel said, "Right now, we need to work on getting to their base."

"How do we fight vampires?!" Manuel demanded.

"Stake through the heart, silver..." Yumie listed off the options, "Holy water, you should know the drill."

Manuel grimaced with unease. "Who are you? What church do you work for?"

"Not important. Now move." Heinkel gave him a little push.

O

The trio made their way across the waist-deep waters.

"Ah, it's cold!" Manuel cursed. "Shit, it's cold!"

Yumie started talking with Heinkel, glancing back briefly at Manuel. "Why are we still keeping him alive?" she asked, softly. "He could slow us down."

Heinkel glanced back at Manuel, who looked around warily at the river. She exhaled. "Maybe you're right..."

Suddenly, Manuel was yanked into the water. Yumie and Heinkel looked around wildly for the source of a possible attack. Ahead of them, a vampire soldier surfaced, shrieking and choking on what looked like a rosary. Smoke billowed from his mouth.

Manuel surfaced a few minutes later, gasping for breath. He grinned and thrust his finger out at the dying vampire. "Ah! Bite on that, _filhodaputa_!"

Yumie and Heinkel stood with their weapons ready.

"Manuel!" Heinkel shouted. She smirked. "Good work."

Manuel flashed a thumbs up. "I knew that would come in handy someday."

Suddenly, several vampires surfaced, snarling. Manuel's enthusiasm deflated and he backed away. The three stood, back-to-back as the vampires began to advance.

"Just so you know, I don't have much silver left..." Manuel whispered. "Just these."

He removed a set of silver knuckles from his pocket. Heinkel looked down at Yumie.

"May the best one win," she said, smirking.

"Manuel!" a vampire hissed, "You fucking traitor. Raizo will skin you alive for this!"

Manuel smirked, but he looked terrified.

The vampires charged with a chorus of unholy roars.

O

Yumie cut down vampires, Heinkel fired her guns and Manuel punched the jaws of any vampire charging him. Due to the dark and the water around them, they failed to notice more vampires surfacing to join the battle.

A few hundred feet away, they were being watched. Yumie was focused in a scope.

The trigger to a gun was pulled and a dart whistled through the air before striking Yumie in the back of the neck. She gave a small cry and paused between the chaos, furrowing her brow.

Heinkel shot down a soldier before she noticed Yumie's condition. "Yumie?"

Yumie reached behind her and removed the dart from her neck. She stared down at it and her hand began to shake. Her vision blurred and Yumie slipped back into sleep. Yumiko returned and she staggered through the water, suddenly losing the strength to maintain her footing.

 _How am I awake? How did this...?_

Several more vampires swarmed into the fray, taking hold of her. Heinkel began to panic, shooting down any vampire in her path to get to Yumie.

"Yumie, no!" she shouted. "Ah, dammit!"

The vampires carried Yumiko away while leaving Heinkel and Manuel to fend off the remaining forces. She started to give chase after they had all been brought down, but Manuel grabbed her, preventing that.

"No!" he whispered, fiercely, "If you follow them, they will kill her!"

Heinkel watched the vampires fading away into the night. "But-"

"We will find her. Trust me, they won't kill her." Manuel assured, "But we can't follow them now..."

Heinkel could only stare helplessly at the departing vampires.

"No..."

 _Yumiko had been bullied by other children._

 _It was strange seeing this when Heinkel was around fourteen years old. Yes, they had squabbled senselessly, but she had begun feeling far more protective of the other girl. When a boy was taunting her about Yumiko's heritage, Heinkel stepped in and grabbed him._

 _"Hey!" she spat. "You want to run that by me again? You had better shut up around her, Dummkopf. Unless you want me to shove my pistols down your throat!"_

 _The boy panicked and fled, but not before Heinkel kicked her foot in his ass, sending him stumbling._

 _"You don't have to beat up every idiot kid who stands in front of me, Heinkel." Yumiko told her. "I can handle myself."_

 _It was true._

 _Heinkel snorted. "I don't just do it for you. I can't stand people like him. Think they know the way of the world."_

 _Yumiko chuckled. "Well, I suppose it's always quite impressive. Seeing how you handle things."_

 _Heinkel smiled, mildly proud of herself._

 _"We should get to the Sisters. They want us to sing for Sunday Mass." Yumiko suggested._

 _Heinkel grimaced._

 _"Alright then."_

 _They started walking in silence before Yumiko looked at Heinkel._

 _"I like hearing you sing, Heinkel." she said._

 _Heinkel bristled. "Ugh. Just be quiet!"_

 _Yumiko laughed gently._

O

Yumiko awoke on a cold, stone floor.

Two soldiers were standing nearby and she managed to regain her senses long enough to look around the room; it looked like a training ground. There were punching bags nearby, racks of weapons and barrels. She glanced up to the dim lights hanging on the stone ceiling.

"This one..." someone whispered in the shadows. "She's the spitting image of my brother!"

Yumiko felt around for her katana, but found that it was missing. She scrambled about, breath quickening in panic. Someone stepped forward and she jumped to her feet, immediately at the defense.

A vampire dressed in camouflage beneath a tight-fitting jacket; he was wearing a wide-brim hat and rows of ammunition wrapped around his chest. He looked to be of Japanese descent, just like Yumiko.

"Awake?" he said, smiling. "Good."

"Give me back my sword." Yumiko ordered.

The vampire chuckled. "You know you could kill me without that weapon, yes?" He produced the katana from behind his back. "This belonged to your father. He too was a Berserker of great skill."

Yumiko wasn't certain how he knew of her father as she didn't even know him herself. She had been an orphan since she could remember.

"Forgive me, where are my manners?" the vampire said, chuckling. He gave her a small bow of his head.

"My name is Raizo. Raizo Takagi."

Yumiko's eyes widened.

The same name as her...

 _"Berserker, eh?"_

 _"That's right. One of the few still alive."_

 _Anderson listened to the other priest in regards to Yumiko._

 _"I've heard of these men and women. They could enter a powerful state of crazed fury," Anderson remarked. "One Berserker alone is capable of slaying armies. And you're certain our little Yumiko is one of those beings?"_

 _"I am, Father. A little discipline and she'll make for a perfect soldier of Iscariot."_

 _Anderson smiled at the thought. "Good."_

Raizo smiled as he paced, explaining to Yumiko his identity.

"Your father and my brother saw it necessary to leave you in the hands of the church - of Iscariot - where you would be safe." he explained. "It's interesting that even though they took you in, the church had viewed our kind as 'heathen devils'."

Yumiko shook her head rapidly, denying this.

Raizo smiled. "You don't believe me? Ask that woman you're with. She would gladly tell you. The Vatican has spent history killing us. But then they saw you...and took pity. Even the most merciless of monster slayers can pity a child, though you're the offspring of a 'devil'."

"Lies!" Yumiko hissed. "All lies!"

Raizo made an amused sound before a vampire approached him.

"Sir. You have a call from the Major..." the vampire whispered.

Raizo nodded his head. "Alright. Thank you."

He started to go, but paused and smiled back at Yumiko. "We'll find your friend. And the traitor." he promised. He looked at the vampire now as they departed. "Maybe see if the 'Dandyman' is looking to get his hands dirty."

"Yes, sir."

Yumiko couldn't bear this news. Yumie partially took over.

"What's wrong, Yumiko?"

"Nothing. I don't believe him. He's lying."

"I told you. They're all liars. Even them."

"No. Not her. She wouldn't lie to me."

"Everyone lies, Yumiko. Even the ones trying to protect you from the truth."

O

"So why did you join them?"

Manuel was a little surprised by the question. "What?"

Heinkel trudged through the mud that early morning. She had to distract herself from the panic in knowing Yumiko was gone somewhere out of her reach.

"Why did you join them?" Heinkel repeated.

Manuel didn't answer right away.

"Okay, you don't have to answer me." Heinkel shrugged her shoulders.

Manuel stayed quiet for a few minutes more before he responded, hesitant. "My wife. That's all you need to know, _mina_."

It didn't take a clever person to figure out what he meant. So Heinkel didn't press further.

She stopped in front of a tree, noticing a small cut in it. A smile lit her lips. Manuel frowned at her pleased expression and noticed the cut in the bark.

"She's smart." he remarked.

Heinkel nodded her head. "She is."

They followed the path of small cuts made in trees until stopping in a clearing. Heinkel looked around for more cuts, but couldn't find any.

"No..." she gasped, panicking. "No, no, where are they? There's no cuts! I don't see any more cuts!"

Manuel raised two hands. "Heinkel, don't panic," he soothed. "Maybe they found out what she was doing and stopped her."

"Oh! Oh, that really helps me now!" Heinkel spat, whirling on him.

"Hey, don't get _louco_ on me." Manuel insisted. "Not a good time, _mina_. We need to stay calm. I can do some tracking."

Heinkel stared at him in disbelief. "You?"

"Yeah, I hunted some deer before. Vampires? Same difference, right?"

"No, it isn't." Heinkel snapped. "We're wasting time! We need to keep looking for Yumie!"

Manuel glanced over her shoulder and tilted his head. "Hear that?"

Heinkel tilted her head.

 _Rushing water..._

The waterfall they talked about was nearby. Hopefully, this was the end of the line and the vampires were there - the Sons of Starlight.

It had been their first mission. Their FIRST MISSION. Heinkel's orders had been to find them and put an end to it. Now, Yumiko was missing and probably being tortured. Heinkel couldn't imagine it. If she found out that any of them had hurt Yumiko, not even God himself could stop her for what she would do.

The two arrived at the edge of the waterfall in question; Heinkel stared down at the rushing water.

"What now, Manuel?" she demanded.

"We wait."

"What?!"

"We wait." Manuel told her.

Heinkel saw no other option.

 _Yumiko...if they've hurt you...so help me God..._


	4. IV

~O~

 **IV**

 _Singing for the Pope was a great honor._

 _The young future soldiers of Iscariot performed "Dies Irae" for His Holiness. Enrico lead the performance, clearly proud of being at the center of attention._

 _Yumiko glanced at Heinkel, smiling while she sang along._

 _Heinkel met her gaze and smiled back._

The sound of activity below earned Heinkel's attention. The waterfall parted and Heinkel watched in amazement as several soldiers rushed out, chanting in streams of German.

"We need to move now." Manuel said.

"That's right. You do."

The two quickly turned, coming face-to-face with a tall and thin man. He had green eyes, silver hair and a thin, brown mustache. He was wearing a brown suit, vest, and wide-brimmed fedora with a blue tie. And white gloves. Overall, he looked entirely too overdressed for the jungles of Brazil.

Tubalcain Alhambra. The Dandy Man.

Manuel backed away a step and Heinkel noticed the gesture.

"Alhambra..." Manuel hissed.

"Manuel, what are you doing?" Tubalcain asked, smiling thinly. "Siding with Iscariot? I mean, I've known you to be stupid, but this is a step beyond the borders of stupidity."

Heinkel aimed her pistols at the man, but Manuel took a step forward.

"Heinkel, no." he said. "I can handle this."

Tubalcain let out a raucous cackle. "You can handle me?" he sneered. "Manuel, you have never been good at handling ANYTHING. You're just a petty delivery boy, crying about the wife he sentenced to death."

Heinkel glanced sidelong to Manuel, who seemed to wither at those words.

"I've changed..." he said.

Tubalcain smirked, showing rows of fangs. "Men do not change, Manuel. They simply discover knew ways to lie."

Manuel looked at Heinkel. "Go. Go get your girl..." he whispered.

"Manuel." Heinkel protested.

"Go!"

Heinkel didn't have a chance to react when Manuel pushed her directly over the waterfall edge. She yelled the entire way down and he watched as she surfaced below. Smiling sadly, he returned his focus to Tubalcain.

"Trying to save the women won't matter, Manuel," Tubalcain told him. "You know that."

Manuel reached into his pants, removing the silver knuckles he'd used before. He stood in a fighting stance and Tubalcain sighed with disgust.

"Such a waste of flesh," he said. "You know you can't beat me."

"I know I've won eighteen street fights against bigger meat than you," Manuel told him, smiling nervously. "I can certainly try. You won't get them."

Tubalcain removed a deck of cards from his coat and Manuel watched in shock as he spun them around his body, like they were a shield.

"If you want a quick death, I have time to oblige." Tubalcain sneered, showing his fangs.

O

Heinkel noticed the path into the waterfall and slowly made her way inside. She looked around warily, searching for signs of Yumiko as well as vampires.

"Yumie?" she whispered. "Yumie!"

Meanwhile, Raizo was alone with the nun and they stood across a table from one another. Her sword was laid out in front of her, just within reach.

"You know there are more ways to the Berserker than you can possibly imagine, Yumiko." he told her. "I can educate you on them. You can push the boundaries of your own body in ways not even your father could."

"My faith cannot be wavered, Raizo." Yumiko said, with great defiance. She didn't even see him as her uncle. He was a stranger.

Raizo smiled. "I know. Iscariot certainly worked hard to ingrain their ideals into your head."

Yumiko's fingers itched to take her katana from the table, but she didn't know what Raizo was capable of. He could have been a Berserker too. A vampire Berserker...

"So tell me, Yumiko..." Raizo said. "Why fight against us? What do you gain?"

Yumie awoke then and smirked at him. "Maybe I just get great pleasure in watching you dead, heretics of God bleed!"

"Hm." Raizo was slowly inching his hand toward the table. "Perhaps less pleasurable and far more costly than you think!"

Yumie moved and Raizo moved in that same instant; Raizo had drawn his own sword and it came down upon his niece, seconds when she had taken her blade and raised it up in defense.

Raizo grunted with effort, struggling to push her further backwards. "Ah, you're strong." he hissed, grinning. "Much more than your father!"

Yumie twisted, forcing him back several paces.

Raizo gave a fierce roar, charging for her in an inky red smear, much like she could. Yumie shouted with effort, charging in a violet swirl. Both combantants collided, smashing through the wall. Yumie was tossed into a jukebox in the next room and it began to play "Shadow Man" by Primitive Reason.

Raizo smiled and paced a little while she regained her footing.

"Come on, Yumiko!" he challenged. "Let me show you what a Berserker can TRULY do!"

The music continued to play while the two fought.

Meanwhile, Heinkel was taking out vampires in her way as she continued into the base in her search for Yumie. She made it to the training hall when she could make out a soft groaning. Heinkel turned, just in time to see a bloodied Manuel collapse beside her.

"Manuel!" she gasped.

"Mother...fucker!" he hissed, spitting out a stream of blood.

"Manuel, how did - " Heinkel began.

"Those fucking cards..." Manuel groaned, holding his arm.

His body was slashed in many places and his clothes were soaked with his blood. Heinkel had no idea how a simple human could have stood up to a vampire and got out of it the way he did.

"Hand us a cloth, _sim_?" he hissed.

Heinkel nodded and removed a small handkerchief from her robes. She offered it to him and he tried to stop some of the blood flow on his neck. She made a face. That hardly seemed helpful.

"Manuel, how did you escape?" Heinkel asked.

Manuel coughed, sending blood spurting from his lips. "Dandy Man's cards cut deep. But my silver knuckles hit just as hard." he laughed. "He's out like a damn light. Not for long, though."

"Dammit!" Heinkel hissed.

"Hey! Hey, I fucking see you!" a vampire shouted on the other side of the training hall. "Stick your head out! I dare you!"

Heinkel sighed impatiently. "Give me a second..." she told Manuel.

She pointed her arm over her cover and took a shot. Without even looking. Manuel, despite his agony looked impressed as the vampire crumbled to the floor, bullet hole in his head.

"You need to go," Manuel hissed, "There will be more. And I don't know how your girl is doing..."

Heinkel nodded. "Thank you, Manuel. I suppose I overlooked how useful you really were."

Manuel laughed weakly. "Well, that tends to happen, _mina_."

Heinkel started to go, but Manuel stopped her. "Wait."

Heinkel frowned. "I have to keep-"

"Before you go...can you...do one last thing for me?"

"...What is it?"

"I want you to pray." Manuel said, choking. When Heinkel stared at him in confusion, he continued to explain. "Alhambra was right. It was me. The only reason I was able to live...was because they were too busy feeding on my wife."

Heinkel sighed heavily. Of course. That made sense.

"Please...I don't deserve it, but I beg for forgiveness..." Manuel mumbled. "I don't know what Iscariot is, but you are soldiers of God, yes? Priests of His Divine Will. Could you pray for me?"

"I...don't do that. I am a soldier. I don't spend time praying for the damned."

"...I see. I suppose that's what I get." Manuel laughed weakly again, blood gushing from his mouth. "Find Yumie. I'll hold them off as long as I can."

Heinkel stood up and retrieved the soldier's gun before offering it to Manuel.

"For them, or for you." she said.

Before she departed, she returned moments later to pray.

He at least earned that much.

O

Raizo cackled with glee, watching Yumie surge for him.

They had taken the fight to the holding cells, where several Ghouls remained.

"You're good, my dear niece," he said, "But I think it's time we take this up a notch."

He closed his eyes and began to mumble a hurried mess of words. Yumie watched him in confusion, but noticed the Ghouls began to react to him. They turned and stood at attention. Much to her shock, several vampires were also being held in the cells, restrained by silver bands.

They began to scream, thrashing their heads about.

"No! No, stay out of my head!" one of them wailed. "NO!"

Yumie backed away once, just as the cell doors opened, allowing the Ghouls to be free. The silver bands were also opened and the vampires made their way out, heads thrashing and eyes flaring red. They looked disoriented.

"Mental Manipulation is one of my greater skills, Yumiko," Raizo said, with a cruel chuckle. "Let's see how well you handle this one!"

Yumie was getting exhausted, but she charged through with a fierce yell.

Meanwhile, Heinkel made her way into a room filled with documents. She took a moment to explore and picked up a folder. Frowning curiously, she opened it up, uncovering documents regarding the arrival of Nazi war criminals. Paging through them, she uncovered information regarding an organization known as Millennium.

"Millennium?" she pondered. "Who are they?"

A scream pierced the air.

It was Yumie.

Heinkel gave a frightened shout. "Yumie!" she cried, rushing toward the sound. "Hold on, I'm coming!"

She arrived at the corridor where the Ghouls and vampires remained lying in piles of bloodied flesh. Standing among them was Raizo, holding Yumie's unconscious body in one arm. Heinkel snarled and raised her guns, but Raizo laughed and brought a needle from behind his back, aiming it at Yumie's neck.

"Hold it." he warned. "I know you love my niece, so I'll make this brief."

Heinkel looked down at Yumie, uttering several furious, frantic gasps.

"She's one of us. She doesn't belong with you." Raizo said. "But she has spirit and believes you are good for her. It should make for a fun test, don't you think?"

He plunged the needle into her neck.

Suddenly, Yumie's eyes flew open and she uttered a strangled cry. Her eyes changed to a frightening red. Raizo backed away, smirking and muttering the same words he had used before.

Yumie staggered to her feet, retrieving her sword. She took a deep, thick inhale and faced Heinkel.

Those eyes were a frightening shade of pinkish-red, her pupils narrowed almost to pin-pricks, wide and unseeing. She looked like a lifeless marionette on strings.

"Kill her for me, yes?" Raizo said.

He backed away slowly, smirking at Heinkel.

"What did you do to her?!" Heinkel shouted.

"Oh, you don't really know, do you?" Raizo said, "You see, human beings have the capabilities of pushing themselves to further reaches of experience. But for Berserkers? We can push beyond even that. What I gave her? It functions like adrenaline, but it's far more potent. Keeps us going for a while."

He smiled at Yumie. "Go on, my dear. Finish her."

Yumie began to pant, the veins around her eyes pronounced. She clenched her teeth and stalked toward Heinkel, katana at the ready.

"Yumie? Yumie, stop!" Heinkel ordered, backing away.

Yumie simply blinked rapidly, groaning with effort as she made her way toward her, not pausing in her advance. Heinkel looked like a shadow in her field of vision, reaching out beseechingly. Her voice sounded far away and garbled to the nun.

"I'm not going to fight you, Yumie." Heinkel spat.

"You don't have a choice, Vatican dog." Raizo said, smiling.

Yumie raised her katana and charged for Heinkel. The other woman jumped to the side, narrowly missing the blade as it cut through the air, inches from her face.

"Yumie, stop," Heinkel pleaded. "Please!"

She ducked when the nun swung her sword again. She didn't dodge quickly enough and the tip of the blade cut into her side. Heinkel winced in pain, stumbling back as Yumie charged relentlessly for her, katana whistling through the air in a mad flurry of violent swings.

Her features were emotionless with each attack.

Raizo just laughed softly. "A Berserker can continue on in battle for a long time, Miss Wolfe." he said. "You'll tire out long before she does."

Heinkel aimed her guns at him and fired, but Yumie stood between them, swinging her katana in a way that knocked the bullets aside.

Heinkel backed away as Yumie advanced. She stumbled and fell flat on her ass, just as the nun took her sword in both hands, raising it high in a final motion to bring it down upon her friend.

"I'm not fighting you, Yumie," Heinkel told her, defiant to her fate. "And I know you won't fight me either. You're stronger than this. He's gotten into your head, but you can fight it! I know you can!"

Yumie remained in that position, sword arm slowly starting to shake. She grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut. Her pupils seemed to narrow and dialate a few times as she struggled to resist Raizo's mental command.

"Ah, incredible!" Raizo remarked, watching her drop her katana. "Still resisting! I've never seen my quarry resist as well as you, Yumiko! I suppose I'll need to work a little harder than."

His eyes widened and flashed red and he whispered those same words again. Yumie thrashed her head with a shriek, struggling to resist it. She grabbed her head in both hands, staggering away from Heinkel.

Raizo looked mildly concerned before he frowned, increasing the strength of his spell.

Yumie collapsed, squirming and groaning in a futile attempt to resist. But eventually, her pupils narrowed once more and her eyes became wide and unseeing.

She reached for her sword and slowly stalked toward Heinkel once more.


	5. V

~O~

 **V**

A trail of blood.

Manuel dragged himself into a munitions closet, gathering a belt of grenades. He collapsed onto the floor once, but struggled to regain his footing again. He was dizzy, losing blood faster than he could stop.

"Ah yes, Manuel..." he muttered, to himself, "What a fun day then. Shot up. Cut up by playing cards. Such fun, yes?"

A vampire rushed into the room, spotting the bleeding man. His eyes widened and he raised his gun. "How are you still alive?!" he cried.

Manuel aimed his gun at him and fired several rounds, shredding the vampire's body into ribbons. He laid there for a few moments, breathless.

"I'm sorry, Gloria... I deserve this..." he mumbled. "I deserve to die here..."

There was a shout of pain he could hear echo through the base. Frowning, he leaned to one side, able to recognize it as Heinkel's. That pushed him forward, despite how weak he was from blood-loss. This was his chance to redeem himself from his sin.

"Oh no, not yet!" he groaned, struggling to his feet. "Not yet! I'm not going yet!"

He struggled to make his way out of the munitions closet and ended up collapsing onto the floor again.

"Fuck...!"

Meanwhile, Heinkel was pinned to the wall, Yumie's sword shoved through her side. She clenched her teeth, struggling to hold back another cry of pain. It was unbelievable agony and Yumie had slowly twisted the blade deeper into her.

"Kill her, Yumiko." Raizo ordered.

Heinkel groaned, sweat beading down her brow. She clutched the blade, slicing her hands up in the process. She met Yumie's lifeless stare and smiled weakly.

"...It's just like when we first met, yes?" she huffed, "All we did was try to kill each other."

Yumie didn't react.

"If...this is how it ends...so be it!" Heinkel spat, "I am a soldier of God! An instrument of His Divine Will! I will face my death here, if I must..."

She gave a shout of agony, forcing herself forward. It allowed the katana to cut deeper through her body. Yumie reacted only the slightest when she felt blood-soaked hands touch her cheeks.

"But I won't let you give up." Heinkel told her. "Not like this. I can see you're still fighting. Fight! Keep fighting until you have no breath left to fight!"

Yumie's lips pursed. She blinked rapidly and Heinkel watched her struggle. Her eyes continued to narrow and dialate as she fought Raizo's control.

"H-Heinkel..." she mumbled, "I...I can't..."

"Yes, yes you can, Yumie!" Heinkel cried, wincing at the agony in her side. "Fight!"

Yumie's hands shook on the hilt of her weapon. Raizo's eyes narrowed and he focused harder. Yumie winced and groaned, thrashing her head.

"Come on, Yumie. You can do it. You're stronger than this..." Heinkel whispered. "Look at me."

Yumie's eyes narrowed and she struggled to hold her gaze on the other woman. Her vision dimmed and blurred before Heinkel's visage appeared, as clear as day. A weak, exhausted smile touched her lips.

"Heinkel..." she mumbled.

Heinkel grimaced and Yumie's smile faded. She stared down at the sword through Heinkel and cried out, quickly removing it. Heinkel slumped forward with a groan and Yumie caught her.

"Oh God, no." she gasped.

"I'm fine." Heinkel told her.

"No, you're not! I put my blade through you!"

"Yumie, it's alright. Really..."

Raizo snarled and started forward, but Heinkel aimed one of her guns at him and fired several rounds. Raizo dashed away in a mad attempt to avoid the bullets, but several cut into his legs. He grunted and quickly fled down the corridors.

"I should go after him." Heinkel said. "He will pay for this."

Yumie shook her head. "No. Let me do it. This...this is my fault..."

"No! No, it's not your fault, Yumie," Heinkel ordered. "But we need to see the mission through to the end. Go after him. Make him suffer dearly."

Yumie smirked. "I intend to."

O

Raizo made his way to the surface, frantically hurrying toward a helicopter that was starting up. His legs were bloodied and he was leading a trail of blood behind him from his limping. Before he could make it, Tubalcain stopped him. The finely-dressed man was sitting casually in the back seat, legs crossed.

"Tubalcain!" Raizo shouted. "We need to go!"

Tubalcain smirked at him. "No, _I_ need to go, my friend."

Raizo stared at him in disbelief. "What? No, no, I don't-"

"You didn't kill her, Raizo." Tubalcain told him. "My superiors are not too happy. Not one bit. ALSO, you allowed them access to our documents. As you know, HE doesn't take kindly to failure. It's such a shame too. You had such promise."

Raizo shook his head frantically. "We can still win this!"

"Actually, I was going to do it myself," Tubalcain remarked. "But I rather like this better. Death by your own kin. I'd love to stay and witness that, but I am on a schedule."

He closed the door of the helicoptor and tipped his hat before taking off. Raizo watched him go, shouting with fury.

"TUBALCAIN!" he roared. "YOU'LL NEVER BE RID OF ME!"

"I might."

Raizo closed his eyes with a weak laugh and turned, facing Yumie.

"You would kill your own kin, Yumiko?" he hissed. "While I stand here, helpless?"

Yumie just smiled. "You're no kin to me, Raizo. The dead do not speak. The damned do not deserve the right to address me!" She raised her katana in a perfect killing pose.

Raizo struggled to catch his breath and focus, but he was disoriented from the silver in his leg, gradually working to boil his blood. He couldn't concentrate. He was in so much pain.

"You think you're in pain now?" Yumie advanced like a violent storm. "Just wait...Raizo. Wait and see what _I_ am capable of giving you. You tried to make me kill my friend. But I am not so easily controlled!"

Raizo hissed sharply. "Come then!" he snarled.

The two opponents surged forward, Raizo howling with his last ounce of strength.

Blood sprayed through the air.

Raizo and Yumie stood apart from one another. A splash of blood fell from the vampire. He gave a weak gurgle, legs shaking in a weak attempt to stay standing.

"Sh-Shima-Bara Battou-Ryuu Xhong...Kui?" Raizo choked.

Yumie's arm was dripping of blood, but she hadn't taken such a fatal blow.

"That's right..." she said.

"Oh..." Raizo laughed, blood pouring from his mouth. "...like your father..."

He gave a final, dying groan and fell to his knees. Finally, he collapsed foward, into a pool of blood.

"Amen." Yumie quietly said.

O

Heinkel opened her eyes as Yumie appeared.

"Alright, Heinkel." she said. "Up you go."

She slipped one of Heinkel's arms around her shoulders, helping the woman stand. Heinkel winced sharply, hissing through her teeth.

"Did you...do it?" Heinkel asked, as they started forward.

Yumie hesitated. It was unusual.

"It's finished." she told her. "We need to return to the Vatican."

Heinkel grunted in pain.

They walked through the training hall and Yumie grinned at Heinkel. "When we get home, you're singing for me, Heinkel." she joked.

Heinkel sputtered a weak laugh in response. "You...wish."

Before they could make it to the exit, several guns were pointed at them. Heinkel and Yumie froze and turned, spotting seven vampires with assault rifles, pistols and machine guns at the ready.

"I'll deal with them!" Yumie hissed, readying her sword.

Then, she groaned, exhausted and almost fell over. Heinkel caught her and almost fell forward herself.

"I don't...think so."

Everyone turned their focus to Manuel, who was leaning against the wall with several grenades strapped to his chest. He had his thumb slipped into the pin of one.

The vampires gave several uneasy grunts, backing away.

"He doesn't have it in him!" a vampire hissed. "He's a damn coward! A coward who gave us his wife!"

Manuel chuckled weakly. "Try me, _puta_."

He looked at the two women. "Go. Get out of here!"

Heinkel and Yumie stared at him in amazement.

"End of the road for me, ladies. Now get going." Manuel said.

He stood in front of them, using his body as a shield so they could leave the base. The vampires snarled with indignant fury.

"Kill him!" the vampire who had spoken screamed.

They opened fire on Manuel, filling his body with bullets. Heinkel and Yumie quickly retreated. Yumie dared a glance back, watching Manuel's body collapse.

With a grenade pin clutched tightly in his hand.

Her eyes widened.

"GET DOWN!" she shouted.

They quickly scrambled, seconds before the grenades detonated. The two women were thrown through the air, landing in the water while the vampires inside were obliterated by the force of the grenades.

Yumie and Heinkel climbed from the water, coughing. They collapsed beside each other, taking a moment to rest.

Heinkel met Yumie's gaze and the nun smiled from behind her damp locks.

"That...went well..." Yumie remarked.

Heinkel gave a snort, but smiled anyway.

"I'm going to sleep now," Yumie said.

Heinkel patted her shoulder. "You've earned it, Yumie. Go ahead and sleep."

Yumie closed her eyes with a small sigh.

Heinkel just held onto her as tightly as she could.

She wasn't about to let go.

O

"They did well."

"Yes. And the information?"

"Millennium. Interesting. A Nazi organization we originally believed to have been terminated in Warsaw in 1944."

Maxwell and Anderson discussed the results of Yumiko and Heinkel's mission in the Bishop's office that morning. Anderson seemed quite impressed by their success, regardless of its overall outcome.

"This is going to get interesting." he remarked.

Maxwell nodded his head, focused on the papers laid out in front of him. "Yes. But first...we should find the collaborator responsible. They knew of us, Anderson. Someone here gave up our secrets."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much," Anderson told him. "I have my suspicions I know who it could be."

"Really." Maxwell was doubtful.

While they continued to talk, Yumiko was kneeling before a cross, in the middle of prayer. Heinkel found her and approached.

"Yumiko, I've brought some wine for you." she said, smiling. "Your favorite."

Yumiko didn't answer. Her features were grim.

Heinkel's smile disappeared. "What's the matter?"

Yumiko stared at her, pained. "I almost killed you, Heinkel."

"But you didn't."

"I almost did, though."

"But you DIDN'T." Heinkel said, firmly. "I am still alive. You fought his control and won. We can move passed this now."

Yumiko considered this before shaking her head. She seemed so tired and saddened by the possibilities. "No. I need to be alone right now. Please, Heinkel. Leave me be."

Heinkel looked a little disappointed. "Oh. I see. Alright then. I'll leave you to it."

She straightened and walked away, leaving the nun with herself and God.

That night, Heinkel had fallen asleep in her bed and was awoken by the sounds of footsteps. She was mildly surprised to find Yumiko climbing into bed with her. The nun was wearing only a night dress.

"Yumiko?" she said, rubbing her eyes once before focusing on the other woman.

"I couldn't sleep." Yumiko told her, holding onto Heinkel with a peculiar desperation.

Heinkel laughed gently. "You haven't done this since we were kids."

"I know. I just... I just can't sleep." Yumiko murmured, somewhat flustered, "I want to sleep with you tonight."

"Okay."

Heinkel began to rub her bare arm up and down to comfort her a little. Yumiko murmured with content and snuggled into the other woman. After a few moments, Yumiko grunted with discomfort and wiggled a little.

"Heinkel...your knee. It's...poking me in the back." she said.

Heinkel grunted, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Yumiko smiled a little. "It's fine."

The two were silent for a little while before Yumiko arched her eyebrows up at Heinkel.

"So are we going to do this now?" she asked.

"Yes. Let's do this now." Heinkel said.

Immediately, the two began kissing one another, entangling themselves in the sheets.

O

The following day, Yumiko was waiting in the car while Heinkel discussed the next mission with Maxwell.

She honked the horn and Heinkel sighed, looking over her shoulder.

"Yumiko! Give me a minute!" she yelled.

Yumiko looked impatient, leaning back in her seat before she slammed her heel on the steering wheel once, blaring the horn.

Heinkel rolled her eyes and resumed her conversation with Maxwell. "Anyway, I will be ready. Yumiko and I - "

The horn was blared once more and Yumiko held her foot there for an extented period of time while Heinkel attempted to ignore it. Yumiko raised her eyebrows, folded her arms across her chest and kept going. Maxwell merely smirked at the sight and glanced at Heinkel.

"I think she's anxious to get started." he said.

Heinkel sighed heavily and walked to the car. "Yumiko?"

"Yes?" Yumiko asked, innocently.

"Stop it, please."

Yumiko lifted her foot from the car horn. "Okay."

"Thank you." Heinkel said, exasperated.

She walked to the driver's side of the car, just as Yumiko scooted over. Heinkel started up the car and gave Yumiko a funny stare.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't put your foot on my steering wheel." Heinkel said, annoyed.

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind." Yumiko laughed.

They drove away and Maxwell watched them go. His smile disappeared, gradually darkening. Now that they were on their next mission, he would take care of finding that little...collaborator.

 _Yumiko and Heinkel had been separated by Anderson._

 _They were in the middle of a fight and he split them apart._

 _"Children!" he scolded. "There will be no fighting!"_

 _Heinkel glared at Yumiko, her childish features twisted in a furious scowl._

 _"She started it!" she yelled._

 _"No, you did!" Yumiko shouted._

 _"Enough!" Anderson ordered. "Now then, you two will have to learn to get along. One day, you may end up working together."_

 _Heinkel scowled. "With her? No way!"_

 _Yumiko stuck her tongue out at Heinkel and the other girl did the same._

 _"I'm not going to work with her!" Heinkel sneered._

 _"I'd rather sniff Enrico's sweaty shoes!" Yumiko shot back._

 _"Both of you. Go and say your prayers then." Anderson ushered them away. "There will be no more fighting...and no smelling anyone's sweaty shoes."_

It was funny to Heinkel, even after all of these years.

They ended up working together, just as Father Anderson said.

She glanced over at Yumiko, who blew a puff of air on the window and drew a little bird in the glass. They had gone from hating each other as children to...this.

These things happened.


End file.
